No More Monkey Business
by Deana
Summary: Sequel to 'Through Another's Eyes' and prequel to, 'Right Place at the Wrong Time'. Frank and his team are after a smuggler of VERY unusual merchandise, and of course, danger ensues.....
1. Unusual Case

No More Monkey Business

A UC: Undercover story By Deana Lisi

Sequel to, 'Through Another's Eyes'.

Thanks to Karri for the plot idea! :)

The team looked up when they heard a door close.

"Hey, Frank! How you feelin'?" said Jake, when their boss walked in.

"Fine," Frank answered, as he made a beeline for the coffee pot.

"I'll get that for you, Frank," said Monica, standing.

"I got it." Frank made his coffee one-handed, his right wrist still in a cast and sling. Taking his coffee, he brought it over to the table and sat down.

The team watched him, silently. 

"What are you doing here so soon?" Alex asked him. "You heard what the doctors said—"

"Yes, I heard," said Frank, sipping his coffee. "I simply chose not to obey."

Everyone gave him exasperated looks. The past two weeks had been crazy. Frank had come down with West Nile Virus, and before he'd even begun to recover, did an undercover stint that had gotten his wrist broken.*

"That was only three days ago!" Alex went on. "What's the matter with you, Frank? Why don't you take better care of yourself? You're health is more important then a job!"

Frank said nothing, knowing that she was right. As he gulped down half his coffee, he peered at everyone over the mug, to see them all nodding their agreement to Alex's statement. 

"You're right," Frank said, surprising them all.

"She is?" Cody gasped.

Frank nodded, drinking the rest of his coffee. "Yes. I'm not Superman, though I tend to think I am."

"You think you're Superman?" Cody couldn't resist saying.

Monica punched his arm, making Cody yelp.

Jake tried to hold in a laugh. "But?" he asked Frank, wanting him to continue.

"But we have a new case," Frank said, starting to get up.

Alex grabbed his coffee mug and went to refill it, before he had a chance to stand.

"Thanks," he said, when she brought it back. 

"How did you know about the new case?" Monica asked, surprised.

"Friends in high places," he answered, with a slight smile.

Cody made a face at that, still bemoaning himself for failing in breaking into Frank's classified file.

"This is a different type of case then we're used to," Jake said.

"I'll say," said Alex. "Smuggling exotic—and dangerous—animals?" she shook her head.

"What _I'm_ concerned about," said Frank. "Is the diseases these animals could bring with them."

Everyone nodded. _Ebola, Hanta, Bubonic Plague, parasites…_

"The movie, 'Outbreak' in real life," Cody said, nervously.

"Details, Monica?" Frank asked.

Monica shrugged. "There isn't much." She opened the file that was sitting in front of her. "Interpol was watching this guy for suspicion of smuggling, and he last left Africa by boat, with a lot of big crates. Before that he was in Australia." She took a picture out of the folder, and passed it around.

Everyone studied the photo of the man, while Monica continued. "Daniel Martins. He's American, and hasn't been arrested for smuggling in the past." She paused, to read a paper in the file, "He robbed a bank 10 years ago. Unarmed robbery."

Jake snorted. "Looks like a sleazeball." 

"Yup," said Alex, taking it from Jake. "I agree with that."

"I think it's unanimous," said Cody, looking at it and handing Frank the picture.

As Frank looked at the pic, they all watched him, waiting for him to speak.

"How do you wanna go about this one?" Alex asked him.

Frank thought for a minute. "Despite knowing his name, he's most likely using an alias." He suddenly frowned. "Monica, does Interpol know for sure that he's coming here?"

Monica nodded. "The boat he took was supposed to come into Lake Michigan port last night."

Jake sighed, shaking his head. "Figures, we get the case _after_ he arrives. We never get an easy job."

"Sounds like this one will be more _detective_ work then UC work," said Alex. "I'm surprised they gave it to us."

Frank shot her an indignant look. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

Alex smiled at him.

Frank shook his head, with a slight smile at her tease. The team knew that he had been a PD detective before becoming a federal agent. "We might as well start now," he said, standing.

"We?" said Monica. "You're still on medical leave."

Frank sighed. "It's only a broken wrist, Monica. The rest of me can still function."

"Not," said Alex. "What about the strength you still need to get back, from the West Nile Virus that you've only _just_ gotten over?"

Frank said nothing, trying to remember when he'd started letting them get away with questioning him so much. _Since the two females started mother-henning me, _he thought. "I know you mean well," he said. "But this mother-henning has to stop, it's really getting on my nerves." He tried to look stern, but both Jake and Cody started laughing. 

"Give up, Frank, they're women," said Jake.

Alex punched him in the arm hard enough to make him wince.

"_Strong_ women," he gasped.

Cody stopped laughing and jumped out of his seat when Moncia pointed her fist in his direction. 

Frank shook his head, trying to hide a smile. "Let's go, people. We have work to do."

*'Through Another's Eyes', a Mummy/UC crossover:  http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=860226


	2. Yo Ho Ho, and a Bottle of Rum!

Frank, Jake and Alex left for the Lake Michigan port, leaving Cody and Monica to see if they could find any info with the computers.

Jake parked his Blazer, and they boarded the only boat currently in the harbor.

"We need to speak to the captain," Frank said, to two crewmen.

The young men looked amazed at the badges they flashed. "Follow us," one of them said. 

They obeyed, walking through the ship and to the upper deck.

"Captain?" one of the men called.

"Ahoy, matey's!" they heard.

Jake and Alex exchanged glances.

A man who looked like he belonged on a pirate ship came walking over to them. "Visitors! Ahoy! What can I do for you, matey's?" he said. 

Frank held up his badge. "We're from the Department of Justice. There's a few questions we need to ask about a passenger you brought here."

The captain's face turned serious. "Sure, anything I can do to help."

"Do you recognize this man?" Jake asked, handing him the picture.

The captain looked at it, nodding. "Aye aye. He was a passenger, all right. What has he done?" he asked, handing them back.

"He's suspected of smuggling exotic animals to the US," said Frank. "Did you look in the crates he brought on board?"

"Exotic animals?" the captain echoed, looking shocked. "You mean like…poisonous snakes, or something?"

"Possibly," Alex said. 

The man shook his head. "No, no one opened the boxes. He told us they were full of native art he'd bought to sell in the US. We had no reason to suspect a lie."

"Did he tell you his name?" Frank asked.

He shook his head. "Sorry, mate. There should be a name on the register, though." He walked a short distance away, and picked up a clipboard. He handed it to Frank, who quickly read the list of names. There were two pages, and Alex flipped the page up when she saw that Frank couldn't, his right hand useless. 

"His name's not on the list," said Frank, not sounding surprised at all.

Jake sighed. "So he used an alias…but which name is the right one?" 

Frank shook his head. "Can I have a copy of this?"

"Sure," said the captain. He took the clipboard, and handed it to one of the crewmen who were still standing there, listening curiously. 

The sailor took it, and left.

"What happened to your arm, matey?" the captain asked Frank.

Frank blinked, not expecting the question. 

The captain answered himself. "Get into a fight with the badguy?" he said, with a laugh.

Frank gave a nod. "Exactly."

The captain stopped laughing, as if he'd been joking. "Ouch," he commented.

The man came back a couple minutes later, and handed Frank the list. "Thanks," he said, trying to fold it one-handed. 

Alex took it and folded it for him.

"How much longer will you be at port?" Frank asked the captain, as Alex handed him the papers again.

"Three more days," he answered. 

Frank nodded. "All right. Thanks for your help."

"Anytime, matey!" the captain answered. 

Jake laughed as they stepped off the boat. "That guy looked like he belonged in a pirate movie."

Alex shook her head. "And it looked like he knew it, too." She frowned when she saw Frank yawn.

"Past your bedtime?" Jake quipped, as they got into his Blazer.

"Don't say it," Frank said to Alex, when she opened her mouth to obviously say something mother-henning.

"Where to now?" Jake asked, starting his truck.

"Drop me back at the Nest," said Frank. "I'm going to look over these lists. You two go search out some informants and ask around."

Jake nodded, and drove off.

********************

"Find out anything?"

"Not much," Frank answered Cody, as he walked over to the couch. He plopped down on it harder then he intended, and sharp pain laced through his wrist.

"You okay?" Monica asked, from where she sat beside Cody at the computers. 

Frank nodded, trying to disperse the pained expression he couldn't hide. 

Cody swung his chair around to face him, and he waited until Frank looked a little better before he asked, "What're those?"

Frank sighed when the pain level in his wrist stayed higher then he would've liked. "The ship's passenger list. Martin's name isn't on it."

"Alias," said Monica.

Frank nodded. "Know of any he used?"

Monica shrugged, getting up from her chair and crossing over to him, to take the list. "A few. If any on this list match up, I'll let you know." She paused, looking concerned.

Frank sighed inwardly. _Here she goes…_

"Take a rest, Frank," Monica said. "You look a little pale."

_If you'd just jarred your broken wrist, you'd look pale too, _Frank thought. He was tired though, and knew that if he were to give this case his all, then he needed his full brainpower. "All right."

Monica looked surprised that he agreed, and nodded at him, going back to the computer.


	3. New Development

_'This is it,' Frank thought. 'I am probably going to die, now…' "You're right, Montoya," Frank said, walking closer to the criminal. "I am a cop, and you are under arrest!" With that, he pulled a hidden gun out from the small of his back, pointing it at the drug dealer. Unfortunately, Frank didn't know that Montoya had a fireplace poker behind his back, and didn't get a chance to shoot before Montoya swung it at the gun, hitting Frank's wrist and sending the weapon flying._

_Frank gasped when he felt a bone snap, and jumped back when Montoya swung the poker again, narrowly missing him. Montoya ran the short distance to the wall housing the swords, and grabbed one, holding it out towards Frank, menacingly._

_Frank stood there, clutching his arm for maybe a second, before he dove towards the other wall, grabbing a scimitar off it with his left hand._

_Montoya's confidence wavered when he saw the assurance Frank exuded, in handling the weapon. He was further surprised when Frank made the first attack.*_

Frank jerked awake, at an unknown sound. He lay there on the couch, not remembering having fallen asleep. _What possessed me to fight Montoya with a sword? _he thought._ Why didn't I just go for my gun? _He felt like he'd watched the scene from the sidelines, as if it wasn't really him at all. _Looks like they weren't exaggerating, _he thought. _The West Nile really did mess with my mind. _

"Frank?"

Frank looked to the left to see Cody and Monica still in the same place. 

"Have a nice nap?" Monica asked.

Frank nodded, sitting up. He nearly groaned when his wrist screamed in protest. He was about to ask one of them to get him some water so he could take one of his prescription painkillers, but realized that they would make him drowsier and fuzzy, and he wanted a clear head to solve this case. He suddenly realized that Monica had been talking to him. "What?"

"I said we didn't find any matches so far with the names on the list," she repeated.

Frank sighed. "Don't be surprised if you don't." He automatically tried to lift his right hand to look at his watch, when he remembered he'd had to put it on his left arm when his right wrist had been broken. He found it slightly ironic; Cody had told him that when Frank had joined their team, he'd assumed Frank to be left handed, since he wore his watch on his right wrist. Frank had shrugged, saying that he'd preferred it on his right arm ever since he was old enough to wear one. Frank wondered how long it would take for Cody to notice that he was wearing it on the 'correct' side now.

The phone rang, and Cody picked it up. "Ah so, Ching's Laundry!" he said, with a Chinese accent. "You mess 'em, we press 'em! Oh, hello Chief." 

Monica started to laugh and choked on the water she was drinking, nearly spitting it all over the table. 

Cody shrugged. "Opps." He started to toss the cordless phone to Frank, but stopped himself just in time. "It's Chief Morgan," he said, bringing it to him.

Frank took the phone, shaking his head. They deliberately made up fake greetings when answering the phone, not wanting criminals to find out the number. "'Afternoon, Steve," he said.

"Hey Frank," said Chief Morgan. "How's the arm?"

"Fine," he lied.

"Sure it is," he said. "I've been informed about the case you're working on, and I have something interesting for you."

Frank sat up straighter. "What's that?"

"An Australian Tiger Snake."

Frank stood up. "What?"

"We got a call about an hour ago from a hysterical old woman screaming that there was a big snake in her yard. We sent the animal control officers, and they found out that the lady wasn't exaggerating."

Frank shook his head. "Where's the snake now, at the animal control office?"

"Yeah," Morgan said. "I'm on my way there myself, to have a look at the sucker."

"I'll meet you there," Frank said.

Cody and Monica stared at Frank through the conversation, having naturally only heard his side, and wondering what was going on.

"Snake?" said Cody, catching the phone that Frank tossed back to him.

"An Australian Tiger Snake," said Frank. "Found here in Chicago."

"Waha! A clue!" Cody said, giving Monica a high-five.

"Too bad snakes can't talk," Monica said.

"I'll be back," Frank told them, taking his keys out of his pocket as he headed for the door.

"I bet he's glad his car's an automatic!" Frank heard Monica say to Cody.

"Yeah," Cody replied. "Hey! He's wearing his watch on the correct side!"

********************

"How do you like _that_?"

Frank nodded at Chief Morgan, as he looked in the huge aquarium tank they'd put the snake in. The snake stared back at Frank, flickering its pitchfork-shaped tongue. It looked to be a good five feet long. 

"Like Monica said, I wish it could talk," Frank said, straightening up.

"You can say _that_ again," said Morgan. "Wonder how it got outside. Did the smugglers lose it, did the buyer lose it…for all we know, the buyer got afraid of it and let it go!"

Frank nodded, studying the snake's tiger stripes. 

"Whoa," they heard.

Turning around, they saw that Jake had walked in, having obviously been told where Frank had gone. 

"Now _that_ is a snake," he commented, looking amazed at its size.

Morgan nodded. "Thank God it didn't bite anyone."

Frank and Jake looked at him, and then at each other, eyebrows raised.

"Bingo," said Jake. "We call up the hospitals and see if anyone has gotten bit or scratched by an exotic animal."

Frank nodded. "Someone's bound to," he said, with a sigh. 

Morgan nodded, echoing the sigh. "If we get anymore calls for strange animals, I'll let you know."

"Thanks," Frank said, turning to leave.

As he and Jake walked through the parking lot towards their cars, Jake said, "You okay?"

Frank looked at him as if to say, 'why do you ask?'

Jake gestured to Frank's wrist, which he didn't realize he was cradling against his body with his good arm. 

When Frank realized that he was accidentally letting his pain show, he let go.

"What, you forget your pills at home?" Jake asked, hitting his Blazer's alarm shut-off on his keychain.

Frank shook his head. "No, I just didn't take one."

Jake gave him a look. "Why?"

"I want a clear head for this case," Frank answered.

Jake sighed. Frank had done this before; refusing medication so he could think clearly. Jake wondered how clearly anyone could think while in such pain.

"Besides," said Frank, as he hit his own alarm shut-off. "You're not supposed to drive while on Vicodin."

Jake smirked at Frank's sheepish half-smile. "You're not supposed to _be_ driving at all," said Jake. "You're supposed to be at home, recovering."

Frank said nothing, giving him a look as if to say, 'who's the boss here?' as he got into his Volvo.

Jake shook his head, as he got into his Blazer, and left the parking lot behind Frank.

*'Through Another's Eyes': http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=860226


	4. A Biting Clue

"What'd the snake look like?"

Jake and Frank were barely in the door when Cody yelled the question out to them.

"It was big enough to eat you," said Jake.

Cody almost choked on his pizza. "What?"

Frank shook his head with a smile, at Jake's unexpected answer.

"Nah," said Jake, as he went over to the table and grabbed a few slices. "It was 5ft long. Had stripes just like a tiger. It was cool."

Monica shuddered. "I don't like snakes."

"Ha," said Cody. "I bet the Crocodile Hunter would love to see it. Look at that beauty!" he mimicked. "'e's _gawgeous_! You're all roight, leetle snoike, oim nawt gonna 'urt ya!"

Everyone laughed at his accurate portrayal of Steve Irwin's accent. 

"Snakes don't bother me," said Alex. "Have some pizza, Frank." 

Frank started to shake his head, but Alex had a look that said she was _not_ going to take no for an answer. He took the plate she handed him, and went up to his office.

"What's the matter with _him_?" Alex asked Jake.

Jake shrugged, eating his third piece. "He won't take his pain pills."

"What?" Alex sighed heavily, shaking her head. "He is the most stubborn man I have ever met!"

********************

'Stubborn' was a good word to describe Frank in some situations, but not quite this one. 'Dedicated' might be the better word. _Too_ dedicated. When he wanted to give a case his all, he gave more then he had.

Frank put the plate down on his desk and sat down, giving in to the groan that he'd been saving till he was alone. With a sigh, he rested his chin in his left hand, elbow on the desk. How he _hated_ being injured. It interfered with his life and his job, and it'd happened too often in the past year. He thought back to the previous week, amazed that he still couldn't remember much. It was a good thing the team had listened to and recorded the conversation between himself and Tito Montoya, because he could hardly remember what he said to the man, and, being the star witness in Montoya's trial, it'd be a good idea if he was able to tell the jury what had occurred.

He shook his head, very bothered by the fact that mentally, he'd lost seven days of his life. He remembered a few things, such as somehow fighting Montoya with a sword. He shook his head._ It's as if someone else's mind was in my body!_ He remembered buying orange juice, and not knowing how much to pay the cashier. _That_ made absolutely _no_ sense to him whatsoever, so he decided that _that_ had been a dream…a very real dream.

Frank shifted his position, trying not to move his screaming wrist. With a sigh, he hoped that this case would be solved quickly, and easily.

"Frank!"

Suddenly his office door was thrown open, and Alex ran in.

Frank jumped, and gasped when stabbing pain shot through his wrist, traveling up his arm. He wasn't successful at holding back a groan.

"Frank!" Alex said. "Another snake's been found, they haven't caught it yet." She frowned at his groan, but before she had a chance to say anything, he stood. 

"Where?" he asked.

"Grant Park," she answered. "Hey, you didn't eat!"

"Save it, Alex," he said, walking past her and out the door.

For a minute Alex stood there, trying to figure out if he meant for her to shut up, or to save the pizza. Grabbing it, she ran downstairs after him. 

"Do they at least have it cornered?" Frank asked Jake, who was waiting for them.

Jake shook his head. "Morgan called the minute they were notified. They're on their way over there."

"We'll probably beat him," Alex said, as they ran out the door.

"Great, I hope _we're_ not the ones to find the sucker!" said Jake. 

********************

"Jake, you see anything?"

Jake sighed, as he walked through the woods. "No," he answered Alex, through his earpiece.

They'd evacuated the park, and immediately started looking. Police and animal control had arrived, and joined in the search. So far, no one had seen any signs of the 'monster snake!' that a panicked mother had called in.

"Frank?" he said.

"Nothing," Frank answered. "Keep looking. With its size, we can't miss it."

"I bet Monica's glad she didn't come," Jake said.

"I think Cody's right," said Alex. "We could use the Crocodile Hunter's help. If he were here, he'd've found it by now, and be holding it up for everyone to see."

Jake laughed.

Frank was only half-listening to them, as he slowly walked through the woods. Still not fully recovered from his bout with West Nile, and now dealing with the pain of his broken wrist, he wanted nothing more then to sit down for a rest. But duty calls…

With a sigh, he leaned against a tree, surveying his surroundings. _If I were a snake, where would I hide? _he wondered. 

_*hisssss*_

Frank jumped away from the tree when something suddenly dropped out of it. Caught off guard, he stumbled backwards and tripped over a tree root, landing hard onto his back, as he tried to protect his broken wrist.

He cried out at the massive pain that shot through it, almost forgetting about the snake that quickly slithered over, and sprang at him.

*GASP* Did I do that? A Cliffhanger? LOL ;) I realized that I should say one thing. I don't own the Crocodile Hunter. (Though I'd LOVE to go with him on one of his cool adventures, LOL!)


	5. Venomous Snakes are Better off Dead!

Alex and Jake ran in the direction that Frank had gone in, trying not to panic, having heard the snake attack their boss over their earpieces. 

Hearing cops yelling, they burst past a cluster of trees, to see Frank on the ground, the snakes' fangs buried in his arm…

"Frank!" Alex yelled, joining everyone else in pointing her gun at the snake, horrified to see its body thrashing around violently.

Frank somehow made it to his knees, and they finally had a clear shot. Multiple gunshots sounded, and the snake was reduced to a gory mess.

Everyone ran over to Frank, who was still on his knees, breathing heavily. With the absence of the snake's strength, Frank was finally able to lower his arm, and he slumped to a sitting position.

Alex and Jake threw themselves to their knees beside him, to find the snake's fangs imbedded in Frank's cast.

Alex gasped, when she saw no blood. "The teeth didn't penetrate?"

Frank shook his head, looking pale with fear and pain, saying nothing. 

The animal control officers pulled the snake's fangs out of Frank's cast, and Alex and Jake helped him up, and led him to sit on a nearby log.

Chief Morgan followed, looking shocked. He stood there and watched as Alex gently pulled Frank's arm out of the sling, to study the holes made by the snake's fangs.

"Frank!" said Morgan. "It you hadn't broken your wrist, you'd be _dying_ right now!"

Frank said nothing, trying to still the shaking in his body; from the fear of being bitten by one of the deadliest snakes in Australia, and from the sickening pain in his wrist, now tripled.

"You should go to the hospital, Frank," said Jake, seeing his boss close his eyes in pain. "Make sure it didn't cause more damage to your wrist."

Alex agreed. "You gotta make sure no venom got through, and would absorb through your skin!"

Before Frank had a chance to say anything, they pulled him to his feet and started walking from the scene.

Frank sighed, trying to pull his arms from their grasp. "I'm all right!" he said. 

Alex and Jake were reluctant to let go of him. True, Frank acted superhumanly indestructible, but he _was_ human, something the team had been realizing more and more lately. 

At a look from Alex, Jake let go of Frank's arm, and they continued on.

********************

"We'll have to replace the whole cast."

Frank sighed heavily at the doctor; too shaken over his near-death—though he'd never admit to it—to bother hiding his emotions. 

The docs had been very upset to see the fang holes in the cast, vehemently voicing that even a snake that big shouldn't've been able to do that. The cast was faulty, but they'd all been glad of it; if not, the snake wouldn't've gotten stuck, and would've bitten Frank somewhere else and killed him within minutes. 

The doctors couldn't be sure whether any of the venom had absorbed through his skin, and so had given him a shot of anti-venom, to be on the safe side. Frank was tired, in pain, and frustrated, and upset that he now had to sit through having his cast removed, and replaced. 

"You wouldn't be going through this right now if you'd listened to us," said the doc, as he turned on the power saw.

Frank said nothing. What _could_ he say?

"You aren't supposed to be working," the doctor continued, cutting into the cast. "Nevermind wrestling with venomous snakes!"

Frank knew the doctor wouldn't shut up until he convinced him, but he wasn't in the mood. "Spare me, doctor."

The doc shook his head. "You know, you're the second person to come in here today having been attacked by an animal not indigenous to America."

At that, Frank sat up straighter so fast that he jostled his arm, and the doctor muttered a stream of words that Frank couldn't hear, over the saw's noise. "What?" he said. "Who? By what?"

The doctor turned off the saw, wondering if Frank realized that he could've just cut off his arm. "A young man," he shrugged. "Got swiped by a Komodo Dragon's tail. Not badly, thank God."

"I need to know his name and address," Frank demanded.

The doc looked at him as if to say, 'that's classified information', as he turned the saw on again.

"Look," said Frank. "I'm investigating an animal smuggler!"

The doctor looked back at him with raised eyebrows, as he finished sawing through the cast. "I'll get the info for you when we're done here." He grabbed a splint he'd placed nearby, and gently sat Frank's arm in it. "Don't move your wrist," he said, moving away to get something.

_Easy for you to say, _Frank thought. It felt great to be free of the cast, no matter how much his wrist hurt. As the doctor brought the supplies over, he couldn't stop the inward sigh. 

********************

"Frank!"

Frank looked to the left to see Alex and Jake stand from waiting-room chairs. 

"What happened?" Alex asked, as Frank walked over to them. She and Jake had gone outside; Jake to call Cody and Monica, and Alex to have a cigarette. When they'd finished, the nurses wouldn't let them go back into the room.

"They put a new cast on," Frank said, walking towards the exit.

"Ouch," Jake commented.

Frank sighed with relief when they stepped out the doors. _I hate hospitals,_ he thought. Getting in the passenger side of Jake's black Blazer, he handed his subordinate a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Jake asked, reading the address written on it.

"Our first lead," Frank told him, with a slight smile.


	6. Mac

_*knock knock*_

Frank, Jake, and Alex stood on the doorstep of the address, patiently waiting for someone to answer the door. 

When no one did after a minute, Jake knocked again. Suddenly a face peeked out from a curtain, looking very nervous. 

Frank held his badge up for the woman to see, and her eyes grew even bigger, as she disappeared from sight.

"What the heck?" said Jake, at the woman's strange behavior. 

The door opened, and a young woman peeked her head out. "Yes?" she squeaked.

"We're from the Justice Department," said Frank. "May we come in?"

The woman blinked, but then nodded her head. "Yeah." 

The team walked in, following the woman into the livingroom where her husband sat, on the couch.

"Jimmy," she said. "These people are from the Justice Department!"

Jimmy sat up quickly. "We didn't steal it! I swear!"

"Steal what?" Frank asked, knowing exactly what he meant.

"The Komodo Dragon. Some jerk sold it to me." Jimmy stood, and they could see his right arm in a sling.

Jake and Alex shared an amused glance, thinking it humorous to see both Frank and the man wearing slings on their right arms.

"We know that," said Frank, in response to Jimmy's statement.

"Oh." Jimmy relaxed, and smirked a minute later. "You get swiped by a Komodo Dragon too?"

Frank half-smiled at the ridiculous statement. "No," he simply said. "We need to know who sold you the animal."

The man frowned. "You mean his name? It was…uh…Mac!"

"Mac?" said Alex. "No last name?"

Jimmy shook his head.

Frank dug the picture of Martins out of his jacket, and handed it to Jimmy.

"Yeah, that's him."

Alex and Jake both shrugged at each other, glad to at least get a first name of the alias Martins was using. 

"Do you know an address or phone number for him?" Frank asked.

Jimmy shook his head. "No clue."

Alex frowned. "Then how did you two keep in contact?"

"Contact?" Jimmy said. "He sold it to me on the street."

"You mean this wasn't a planned sale?" Frank asked.

Jimmy shook his head.

"Great," said Jake, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Is there anything he said that might give us any clue as to his whereabouts?" Frank asked, putting the picture back into his jacket.

"Oh man, good question," Jimmy said, sitting down on the couch arm. "Uhh…yeah, actually, he said he has a warehouse full of exotic animals!"

"A warehouse," Alex echoed.

Jimmy nodded.

"That's _something_," said Frank, though the team knew he was disappointed at the very vague clue. "If you remember or find out anything else, call the police and tell Chief Morgan to notify us."

Both Jimmy and his wife nodded.

"What are you gonna do with my lizard?" Jimmy asked, hesitantly.

Jake and Alex looked at Frank. 

"I'll have to find out if they're illegal to own," Frank told him. "We'll let you know."

Jimmy nodded. "Okay."

As they got back into Jake's Blazer, Frank couldn't help but shake his head. "I'd hoped for something more then that."

"Yeah," said Jake, as he backed out the driveway. "Like we'll really be able to find _which_ warehouse they're using!" 

********************

Frank, Jake, and Alex returned to the Nest, to the shocked expressions of Monica and Cody, who were stunned over the snake incident.

"I'm fine," Frank said, before either of them could ask him. 

"Wow," Cody whispered to Monica. "He takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"

"Warehouses," said Frank, sitting on the couch. "We need to find all the abandoned or empty warehouses in Chicago."

"Okaaay," said Monica, standing in front of him. "Did you find something out that we need to know?"

"We sure did," said Alex. "When Frank was having his cast replaced, the doctor told him they'd had a patient who'd been swiped by a Komodo Dragon's tail." 

"You needed your cast replaced?" Cody echoed.

Frank didn't answer, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose, as if frustrated. "We went to see the man, and were told that he'd been sold it on the street, and that the seller mentioned a warehouse full of animals."

"He didn't know anything more?" Monica asked, crossing her arms.

"Nothing," said Jake. "The only other info he gave us is that Martins uses 'Mac' as an alias."

Everyone was quiet for a minute, until Cody said. "I can tap into the police station's reports and look for addresses of known warehouses around town. That's the best place to look."

Frank looked at him in surprise, seemingly impressed by the suggestion. "Good idea," he said, nodding.

Cody smiled, pleased with the praise. "I'll get right on it," he said, and jogged off to his mass of computers.

Frank looked up at Monica, who was chuckling. "Cody may be a goof, but he _did_ get this job for a reason," she said.

Frank nodded, and stood from the couch. "I'll be in my office."

They all nodded at him, and watched as he climbed the stairs, and disappeared. 

"I hope the rest of this case goes smoothly," Alex remarked.

Monica sighed. "I have a feeling that's too much to ask." 

********************

Frank went into his office, relieved to finally be alone. He felt desperate to lie down, but didn't want the others to know, hating to show weakness to the team. He was their leader; he was supposed to be their strength! 

With a sigh, he sat on the couch, where he'd crashed during many an all-nighter. He was about to lie down, but got up and went over to his desk, taking a bottle of aspirins out of a drawer. Realizing he had nothing to drink in there, he swallowed them dry, trying not to grimace at the taste. 

Walking over to the windows that overlooked the main floor, he saw Cody and Monica diligently working at the computers, with Alex and Jake hovering over their shoulders. He let himself smile for a minute, at the sight. Despite their tendency to question him, mother hen him, or be goofy, they were good workers. 


	7. I Want a New Car!

_*knock knock*_

Cody frowned when Frank didn't tell him to come into his office. "Boss?" he said, opening the door. Still getting no answer, he peeked his head in, and saw Frank fast asleep on a couch. 

Cody walked further into the room, with an inward sigh. _Do I wake him up, or not?_ He looked at the list in his hand of all the warehouses they'd found in town, and knew that time was of the essence. _But Frank's asleep, _he thought. _If I wake him up, will he jump off the couch and attack me, or something?_ He shook his head at the thought. Frank had his good arm around the casted one, as if it was still paining him greatly. Cody sighed and leaned against Frank's desk, now noticing the aspirin sitting on it. 

_What to do, what to do…_he thought, sitting back a little further on the desk. His action proved to be the deciding factor, as he accidentally knocked over a pen holder, which toppled with a *thunk*.

Cody looked quickly at Frank, who opened his eyes, blinking repeatedly.

"Uh, sorry, Boss," Cody said, sitting the holder upright, and putting the pens back in it.

Frank looked at him strangely. "Cody?" he said. "What are you doing in my office, sitting on my desk?"

Cody couldn't help but laugh. "I came to let you know we have a list of warehouses to check out."

Frank's eyebrows rose, and he sat up slowly, irked to see that the aspirin hadn't done much.

Cody handed him the list and sat there silently as Frank looked it over. 

"You found a lot," Frank said, looking at the computer whiz. 

Cody nodded, with a self-conscious shrug.

Frank smiled. "Good job."

A huge grin spread across Cody's face. "Thanks, Boss! That means so much, coming from you!" he said, in a fake-choked up voice.

Frank shook his head, with a smile.

********************

Since it was nearly dark, everyone decided to go home and start searching the warehouses the next day. Frank told them to get a good night's sleep, and to be at the Nest bright and early in the morning.

As Frank lay in bed, he tried to remember more of the previous week. He wasn't having much luck, as he'd given in and taken one of his prescribed painkillers; knowing he needed as much sleep as possible this night, as he had a long day ahead of him.

**Frank looked around the inside of his car, feeling as if he's never been in it before. He looked for a clutch on the floor, but of course his 2002 Volvo S80 didn't have one. He opened the glove box and took out the manual, reading it before putting the car in 'drive' and pulling out of the parking lot. He had no idea where he was going, and when he spotted the store he was looking for, he was very much relieved.**

*beep beep beep*

Frank sat up in bed, frowning in confusion. _What the heck did I just dream? Not knowing how to drive my own car? Did that really happen?_ Frank shook his head, in disbelief. If he believed in aliens, he would've thought that one had inhabited his body, that bizarre week. His brain suddenly registered that his alarm clock was blaring, and he realized that it'd been going off for a while. Jumping out of bed, he got dressed as fast as his broken wrist allowed him, and hurriedly left.

********************

"Frank is the last person I'd expect to be late, today," said Monica.

"He's not technically late," said Jake, as they all sat around the table. "He never said what time to be here, just 'bright and early'."

Cody yawned. "Well, I'd rather be here bright and _later_!"

"The early bird catches the worm!" said Alex. "Or in our case, the criminal."

"_There_ he is," Cody mumbled, yawning and plopping his head on the table, face first.

The rest of them looked up when the door opened, and Frank came in. He looked pleased to see them all there already, but at the same time he looked bothered about something.

"Everything all right, Frank?" Monica asked, concerned.

He nodded, approaching the table and sitting down.

"How's your wrist?" Alex asked.

"It's fine," Frank answered, too quickly. "Cody, wake up."

At no movement from the computer whiz, Jake yanked him up by a handful of hair, and shook his head around.

"Gahh!" Cody exclaimed, pulling away from Jake. 

Frank shook his head, as the others laughed. "Everyone's gonna get in on this one," he said, making Cody and Monica's eyebrows shoot up. "We're going to take two vehicles. Jake will head one team and I the other."

"Okay, I'll take my truck," said Jake.

"I'll take my car!" Alex said, nearly running him over.

Frank frowned, confused at Alex's excitement. "Monica and Cody go with Jake, and I'll go with Alex. We'll split up the list, and whichever team finds something suspicious will radio the other, and we'll all meet up before anything is done. Got that?"

Everyone nodded their heads, and stood.

Frank handed the list to Cody, who pulled the staple off, and handed the first page back to him. As they left the Nest, Frank followed them around the corner of the building, where he stopped in surprise at what he saw. 

Alex ran over to a car Frank had never seen before. "How do you like it, Frank? Isn't it great?"  

Frank followed her over to the brand-new BMW 325i. He nodded, looking in the window at the leather interior.

"How do you like the color? It's called 'steel blue metallic'!" Alex said, smiling ear to ear. "Remember how upset I was when you bought the S80 that I'd had my eye on? Well, after I saw this baby, I must say I'm glad _you_ bought the Volvo before I did!"

Frank nodded, looking the car over. "Good choice," he said.

"That's it," said Cody. "I want a new car! Frank got a new expensive one, Alex got a new expensive one, Jake's trading _his_ in for a new expensive one, and I'm stuck with a 1996 Grand Prix."

"What about me?" said Monica. "What am I, chopped liver? Besides, a '96 isn't old."

"But it's not _new_!" 

"Go have your car debate in Jake's truck," said Frank, with a half smile. "We need to get going."

Everyone nodded, and walked off towards Jake's Blazer, Cody still whining about his car.

Alex laughed as she and Frank got into her BMW. "Look at this," Alex said, as she started it up. Pointing to the odometer, it read 55 miles.

Frank smiled. "Mine had 47."

"Figures! You got me beat on that one," she said, driving out of the parking lot. "But I got you beat on the price. This baby was only $30,000. I happen to know you paid $40,000 for the Volvo."

Frank nodded. "True, but I paid cash for mine."

At that, Alex nearly jammed on her brakes, and she looked at him, in disbelief. 

Frank said nothing, just smiled.

Alex was speechless. _With the interest rate I had to finance mine for, he actually paid less then me!_ She was about to ask if he was serious or not, when they heard laughing over the earpieces they'd forgotten they were wearing.

"You're bad at eavesdropping, Cody," said Alex, shaking her head.

"Opps," they heard.


	8. ACHOO!

For most of the day, they checked warehouse after warehouse, thankfully not having to go into many of them; looking in the windows was good enough, as they could see much, if not all, of the inside.

"Frank!"

Frank one-handedly climbed onto a crate, and peeked into a window, seeing nothing within. "Find something?" he asked Jake, tiredly.

"Yeah! The warehouse we're looking for!"

Jake's statement provided the surge of adrenaline Frank needed, and he carefully jumped down, and ran to Alex's car. "Where?" 

"About five miles from you."

Alex ran around from the other side of the warehouse, and they both jumped in, following the directions Jake gave them. 

They parked the car next to Jake's, and ran the 200 feet to the building, where it was practically hidden in the woods.

"Did you go inside?" Frank asked Jake.

Jake shook his head. "No, none of us did. Martins doesn't appear to be here, either; all the lights are out."

"How do you know this is the place?" Alex asked, trying to see through the grimy, filmy windows.

Suddenly a squawk was heard, followed by what sounded like a monkey.

"Oh," said Alex, sheepishly.

"No one touch _anything_ inside," Frank said. "Especially the animals. Got it? No, scratch that," he paused. "Cody, Monica, you two stay out here and be our lookouts."

Monica nodded; glad she wouldn't have to come face to face with any snakes.

Cody also nodded, looking relieved.

"Wait, Frank," said Alex. "How are you supposed to defend yourself if you have to, with a broken wrist?"

"I _can_ shoot with my left hand," Frank said, annoyed at the question. "Let's go," he said, cutting off her further protestations.

The three of them went to the door, and Jake kicked it open. Spreading out, they inspected the inside.

Frank didn't get very far before he started to sneeze, thanks to the nasty dust. He tried to hold them in, in case Martins _was_ in the building, but it got harder and harder the longer he was in there. 

It was a cloudy day, so it wasn't as bright inside as it could've been, but Frank was able to see the amazing animals that Martins had succeeded in illegally bringing to the US. There were a lot of monkeys and tons of snakes, as well as baby crocodiles and even some tarantulas, which took Frank by surprise, making him fail to hold in another sneeze. Quickly moving on, he found some huge birds, and to his amazement, a cage with four baby koala bears, sitting quietly, staring at him. 

Suddenly the lights came on, and he looked up to see Jake standing on the upper level of the warehouse. 

"Cheetahs!" Alex suddenly said, through the earpieces.

"Monkeys," said Jake. "Lots of them."

"Koala bears," said Frank.

Alex gasped. "Really?"

The three of them assembled in the center of the bottom floor, assured now that the warehouse was indeed void of Martins. 

This knowledge confirmed, Frank stopped holding in his sneezes, as it had grown to be impossible by now, anyway. "Cody, Monica? Anything?"

"Nope," Cody said. "You guys can have your fun playing with the koala bears."

Alex laughed, as she stood in front of the cage, smiling at the sweet creatures. 

"ACHOO!"

"Sounds like you're allergic to something in here, Frank," said Jake, peering at the baby crocs.

Frank nodded, with a sniff. "Dust; massively allergic to dust."

Alex looked at him. "Really? We've been in places like this before and you never sneezed like that."

Frank started to answer, but had to sneeze first. "I get allergy shots." His voice was quickly starting to sound like he had a stuffed nose, and he cleared his throat, against the itchy feeling growing in it. "I have to get out of here."

Alex and Jake followed as he hurried out the door. Once out, Frank inhaled the fresh air deeply, coughing a little.

"What, did you forget to get your last shot?" Monica asked, having heard the conversation over the earpiece.

Frank sneezed again. "I don't see how I could have, I never missed one before…" his face suddenly changed.

"What?" Alex asked.

"The week I was sick," said Frank, shaking his head. "With the West Nile. My shot was that week. I can't believe I forgot it!"

"You weren't yourself that week, Frank," said Monica.

Frank sighed, making him cough, and he sneezed again.

"Can't you pop over there _now_ and get one?" Cody asked.

Frank's eyebrows went up, but then they went back down. "No, they're closed on Wednesdays."

"Figures," said Alex. 

Frank sneezed again, and rubbed his watery eyes, with a sigh of frustration.

"Here," said Alex, handing him her car keys. "Go in my car and turn on the a/c. Maybe it'll help."

Frank nodded. "We might as well all go back to the vehicles, since we have to wait for Martins to come back."

"One of us should've brought the van," said Cody. "All our equipment sitting there, unused…"

"Go get it," said Frank.

"Okay," said Cody, with a nod. "Uh…how?" He looked at Alex.

"Not in _this_ lifetime," she snorted.

Cody shrugged, not expecting her to let him use her brand new car. "Jake?"

Jake saw that he had no choice, and gave Cody his keys. 

"Don't say it," said Cody, when Jake opened his mouth to threaten him against damaging it. "You _are_ trading it in, after all!"

"_That_ wasn't very encouraging," Monica commented, as Cody ran off.


	9. Shoulda' Stayed Home, Frank!

Less then an hour later, a big van drove down the path through the woods, not far from where the team's van was hidden. 

"Frank! There he is!" said Cody.

Frank stood, and took his gun out of his holster with his left hand. "We go on foot," he said, not having to voice that fact that if they drove, by the time they pulled up Martins would probably be shooting at them.

Jake and Alex nodded, as Cody and Monica looked on.

Opening the door, Jake jumped out, Frank and Alex behind him. Frank took the lead, and Jake brought up the rear. About halfway there, Frank sneezed, succeeding in holding most of it in.

"Frank!" Alex whispered, making him stop. "What are you doing? You can't go in there with all that dust, your sneezing will make our presence known to Martins!"

Frank said nothing, knowing she was right. Finally he sighed. "All right," he said, nodding reluctantly. "I'll go back to the van." As disappointed as he was at not getting to have a hand in nabbing Martins, he would never pose a risk to his team, and possibly get one of them hurt or killed.

Alex nodded back, glad that he didn't argue the issue. "We'll be fine."

"I know," he said, and started walking back.

Jake and Alex exchanged looks, and headed in the direction of the warehouse, very grateful that it wasn't dark. 

When they reached the door, they were surprised to find it unlocked. Quietly opening it, Jake crept in first, and motioned for Alex to follow. 

Pointing their guns before them, they split up, and quietly walked through the warehouse, both of them highly alert, listening for any indication that Martins was nearby.

A few minutes later, Alex jumped when she heard a loud sneeze.

"ACHOO!"

Stopping dead, she realized that it sounded like Frank. _What is he doing in here?! _she thought_. Nevermind that, why did he sneeze so loudly? He just let Martins know someone's in here! _Suddenly a different thought—a scarier thought—came to her. 

Alex ran to the railing of the second floor that she was on, towards the sound of Frank's sneeze.

  
*******************

Thoughts similar to Alex's ran through Jake's mind, as he also followed the sound. What he found shocked him.

Martins was standing at the other end of the room, holding a gun to Frank's head, who was handcuffed to a floor-to-ceiling beam, by his good wrist.

"Drop the gun!" Jake yelled.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Martins said. "I don't think you're in any position to give orders, buddy!" He pressed the gun into Frank's temple. "The slightest move you make that I don't like, and he gets his brains splattered!"

Jake kept his gun aimed, trying to assess Frank's condition and get a good bead on Martins, who was standing behind Frank, using him as a shield.

Frank looked all right—if you could call suffering intense allergies 'all right'—with no noticeable new injuries, at least.

"I'm not gonna say it again!" yelled Jake, taking a step closer.

"Then don't!" Martins pressed the gun harder, actually moving Frank's head. "You wanna get your boss killed?" 

Jake stopped, looking at Frank, silently asking him what to do.

Frank was stuck. His right wrist was in a cast, and he was cuffed to a pole by the other arm. Kicking the guy would get him nowhere, since he had no hands to grab the gun with. He sneezed, hoping he wouldn't startle Martins into accidentally pulling the trigger.

Martins suddenly reached his hand under Frank's right arm, and grabbed his broken wrist.

Frank wasn't able to hold in a gasp of pain, when Martins yanked it out of the sling.

One the top floor, Alex's blood boiled when she saw Martins so cruelly take advantage of Frank's injury. Looking around, she tried to find a position to get a better bead on him. She sighed when she didn't find one. 

"Martins, you aren't gonna get out of here, the place is surrounded!" Jake bluffed. "Let him go, and give it up!"

"Surrounded, huh? Why don't I believe that?" he said, finally letting go of Frank's wrist after jostling it around brutally.

Frank stumbled a step, his legs not wanting to hold him up after suffering such pain. His breath came faster, in response to the agony. He sneezed once more, and almost stumbled again.

Martins grabbed Frank's arm, preventing his movement. "You can't do nothin'!" he yelled, to Jake. "You and your gun can stand there and watch this, unable to do a thing!" That said, he yanked Frank around, and punched him in the face.

Alex gasped. Not just because Martins had hit Frank, but also because she now had an open shot. But before she had the chance to pull the trigger, Martins was behind Frank on the floor, with his arm around Frank's neck.

Frank could do nothing, sitting on the floor with his cuffed arm dangling over his head. He had to sneeze again, but tried to force it away, his current position not good for sneezing.

Jake saw Frank look him in the eyes, and almost yelled, 'no!' at what he knew Frank was telling him through the look. 

Alex saw it too. "You're gonna get out of this, Frank," she whispered. Suddenly she saw Frank look up at her, and she realized that he'd heard her through his earpiece. 

Jake heard Alex too, and saw Frank looking over his head. _Alex must be up there_, he thought. _Frank's gonna try something…_

"Well, boy? You just gonna stand there all day?" Martins said, tightening the chokehold on Frank. 

"You're gonna regret this, Martins," Jake said, trying to distract him.

Suddenly, Frank sneezed again, and went limp in Martins' arm, falling back. 

"Wha—" said Martin.

That was his last word.

Alex's gun rang out, and Jake lowered his, watching as Martins dropped like a rock, his blood splattering Frank and the floor. 

Frank groaned and slumped over onto the side with the cuffed wrist, as Jake ran over to him.

"Frank!" Jake said, kneeling beside him. Frank's eyes were closed, but he opened them after another sneeze. "Are you all right?"

Frank looked at him as if that was the dumbest question he'd ever heard. His wrist hurt so bad he couldn't even think.

Jake sighed and looked over at Martins to make sure he was dead, but quickly looked away. _Yeah, I'd say it's obvious…_

The sound of boot heels alerted them that Alex was coming, and she threw herself to her knees. "Frank…!" she said, shaking her head.

"Good shot," Jake told her, as Frank sneezed again. 

She shook her head with a shaky sigh, and grabbed the cuff carefully. "Key?" 

Jake got up, to rummage through Martins pockets.

"Uh, guys?" It was Cody, over the earpiece.

"Yeah," Jake said. 

"From the sound of boss-man's sneezes, I can see that he's still alive," Cody said. "I'd dance for joy, but we're not out of the woods yet."

Jake paused, in his search.

"What, Cody?" Frank asked.

"Martins has…uh, two accomplices…"

Frank muttered under his breath. "Yes, he does, they're the ones that—" he paused, and sneezed hard enough to almost give himself whiplash. "—the ones that grabbed me on my way back to the van." 

"Monica and I can see them," Cody went on. "They haven't found the van yet, but they're about to…"

Jake handed Alex the key, and ran for the door.

"Jake!" Alex yelled. She hurriedly unlocked the cuff, and stood. "Stay here, Frank!"

Frank's answer was another huge sneeze. 

Alex made a sound of frustration. _He can't stay here, stupid!_ Taking Frank's good arm, she pulled him to his feet, and kept a supportive arm around him, as they headed for the door.


	10. I have NO clue what to name this chapter...

Jake quickly ran through the woods, in the direction of the team's van. 

"I can still see them," Cody told him. "They're standing there talking, they can't see the van." He looked at Monica, in relief that it had grown dark.

Suddenly Jake saw them. "Freeze!" he yelled. "Federal agents!"

The two men jumped, quickly holding their arms up in surrender. 

"Jake!" he heard through his earpiece. "You need backup! Wait!"

Jake stood there, pointing his gun, seeing wisdom in Alex's suggestion. The two men stayed where they were, silent, arms still raised, but Jake wasn't about to trust them.

Alex came running towards him, and they both crossed to the men, and cuffed them without incident. 

"Where's Frank?" Jake asked.

Alex gestured over her shoulder. "I left him beside a tree. He's in a lot of pain," she said, with a sigh. Just then, they heard a loud sneeze. A second later, they were able to make out Frank coming over.

Cody and Monica came out of the van. "You okay, Frank?"

Frank was glad they couldn't see his face well in the dark. His wrist was killing him unimaginably. "Fine," he lied.

"I called the Chicago PD," said Cody. "They're coming to pick these guys up."

"Good," said Frank, surprised to see Martins' men so docile. They must've heard Alex's gunshot, and knew that Martins was dead. 

Frank suddenly closed his eyes when it suddenly felt like someone plunged a knife into his wrist. Someone took his good arm, and lead him over to the van, where he sat in the open doorway. 

"Looks like another hospital visit for you, boss," said Cody.

********************

"You can't keep me here for a broken wrist!"

"I most certainly can," said the doctor.

Frank sighed, from where he sat on the exam table. The team hovered near the door, watching their argument.

"I can keep you here for observance for concussion," said the doc.

"I don't _have_ one!" Frank exploded. 

The doctor said nothing, looking at the nasty bruise surrounding Frank's left eye and cheekbone, from Martins' punch. "True, you may not, but that's why we're going to observe you!"

Frank sighed at the doctor's triumphant grin. "You're using that as an excuse."

The doc nodded his head, still smiling. "That's possible."

Frank started to get off the table, but the doctor grabbed his good arm. 

"Listen to me," the doc said, his smile gone now. "You broke your wrist four days ago. Since then, you have come in twice with further injury to it! It's in worse shape now then when you first broke it! You do anything _else_ to those broken bones and you'll need surgery to fix them! Is that what you want?"

Frank said nothing, only glared.

"You're already checked in," said the doc. "Room 216." He looked at the team. "Can I trust you to escort him there?"

Frank looked at them, seeing the humorous glints in their eyes. 

"You _bet_ you can," said Alex. 

The doctor let go of Frank's arm, allowing him to get off the table. Frank slowly walked towards the door, ignoring his teams' attempts to hide their laughter. 

Jake opened the door, and gestured for Frank go out first. 

"It's like being arrested," Frank muttered to himself.

********************

Frank finally got it through his thick head that his body needed rest after the past couple weeks, with his West Nile illness and injuries. The doctor succeeded in keeping Frank there for the night and entire next day, letting him out the morning after, with strict instructions not to expose his wrist to _any_ type of danger whatsoever, whether it be bumping it into a wall or getting involved in another case. The threat of surgery on his gun-arm had scared Frank into obeying, _finally_.

A few days after getting out of the hospital, Frank went to the Nest, to see what was going on, if anything. 

"What's her name, Cody?" Frank heard Monica say.

"Sab," Cody said, sounding dreamy. "She was looking at the same one I was."

_Same what?_ Frank wondered.

"And then you asked her out?" asked Jake.

"Yeah," Cody answered. "I think she really liked me." In his mind, Frank could see him blushing. 

"Frank?" he heard, walking further into the room and seeing Alex stand from the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you, too," Frank said. "_Before_ you tell me to go home," he said, seeing Alex open her mouth again. "I only came to see what's going on and to catch up on paperwork. Is that all right with you?" he asked, sarcastically.

Everyone laughed, as Alex sat down again. 

"How you gonna do paperwork with only one hand?" Cody couldn't help but ask.

Frank inhaled slowly, trying to contain his exasperation at the question he should've thought of himself.

"All those animals got shipped back to their original countries," said Jake, saving Frank from having to answer Cody.

Frank nodded. "That's a relief."

"Yup," said Cody. "Now those guys can't do no more monkey business!" He started to laugh. "'No more monkey business'! You know, like, he can't sell monkeys anymore?" He kept laughing, but then stopped when he realized no one else was.

Opening his eyes, he saw everyone staring at him as if he were mad. "Get it?" he said, feeling self-conscious at their expressions. "It was a joke, ha ha ha."

Everyone stared at him for another minute, before finally laughing, not able to maintain straight faces any longer.

Frank shook his head, and went up to his office. _'How you gonna do paperwork with only one hand?' he asks,_ Frank thought to himself. _Good question. _

He walked in the door, and found the case file right where he'd left it, on his desk. Taking it to the couch, he sat on it, and opened the folder. He only lasted three pages before falling asleep, and dreaming about his swordfight with Tito Montoya. Only this time, he had long hair, and was wearing black robes…

THE END 

WOO HOO! Thanks everyone for the reviews! For anybody who doesn't understand Frank's dreams, read my story, 'Through Another's Eyes': http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=860226


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